There was a lot of talk this offseason about this year's Cowboys team and the future of the NFL. With all of this discussion, we wanted to get the opinions of the people who will be playing on Sunday.

To determine what NFL players are really thinking heading into the 2019 season, SportsDay conducted a survey of 18 Cowboys, ranging from rookies to veterans, special teams players to key offensive weapons, and asked them a variety of questions. The questions included everything from which Cowboy to keep an eye on this season to the number of preseason games.

All participants were granted anonymity with a few choosing to abstain from answering certain questions.

Which Cowboy do you think will make the biggest surprise impact on the field this season?

The overwhelming most popular answer was rookie Tony Pollard who received six votes after an impressive training camp and preseason.

One teammate said of the running back, "I think Pollard had a great camp, especially for a rookie coming in and showing a lot of maturity and patience in his approach and how he ran the ball. ... Tony's really got great vision, he's really impressive."

Defensive tackle Maliek Collins received three votes, with one teammate noting that he loves "to go against" the fourth-year player.

Donovan Wilson was also recognized by two of his teammates with one noting that "he's around the ball a lot, a lot of turnovers, made a lot of plays for us."

What NFL team are you looking forward to playing this year?

The Cowboys schedule features plenty of tough obstacles including a rematch from last season's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

But which teams are Cowboys players most looking forward to playing?

New Orleans Saints: "I think a really good test for us this year is the New Orleans game, going down there to the Superdome, I've never played there. I'm looking forward to it a little just to see what the noise and the environment's like."

"(The Saints are) going to be good. I'm just looking forward to playing them. Even though we beat them last year, we've got some unfinished business, especially on special teams, so that will be a fun one."

New England Patriots: "I am looking forward to playing the Patriots. As a fan of the NFL, and a player in the NFL, going against Tom Brady, it's beyond. I'm going to be honest, I'm not going to be a super football 'one game at a time' (guy). I'm pretty pumped to hit Tom Brady."

Chicago Bears: "I'm looking forward to going up to Chicago. I have a lot of family, people there. That's always cool to play in front of people you know."

New York Giants: "I played there for a little while, so (I'm excited to face them)."

What's your favorite NFL stadium to play in?

Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Jaylon Smith (54) enters the field with head coach Jason Garrett before an NFL playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

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While it is not surprising that Jerry World received the most votes, a variety of stadiums around the NFL were mentioned. Some were listed for nostalgic reasons from the players' childhood while others enjoyed the atmospheres at certain venues.

As for what makes AT&T so special, multiple players mentioned that there really is nothing else like it.

One said, "my first time seeing AT&T, I didn't know it lit up like that." Another commented that the stadium is "unbelievable. It's our house. It's unreal."

How do you feel about an 18-game regular season?

No player was reluctant to answer this question. The surprise, however, comes from the fact that about half hadn't been aware that a longer season was something being discussed, let alone that their own team owner was for it.

But there were plenty with strong opinions.

"Hell no. Hell no," one simply stated. Another went into further detail explaining, "I think 16 is good. 18 would be putting a lot more health issues, mental issues and other issues (at risk)."

One Cowboy argued that players would need more guaranteed money for that to make sense. "(It) can't just be no more guaranteed money if you play two more games. This is a brutal sport so you're putting two more full-speed, contact games in it should be something else for us."

How do you feel about the preseason?

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Dallas Cowboys linebacker Luke Gifford (57) is carted off the field after an injury during the second quarter of an NFL preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Many that were inclined to keep all four preseason games were undrafted players who understand the opportunities that come from them.

One said, "I was an undrafted guy, so I needed those looks. ... I think it's really something important. Without those games I wouldn't be here right now, so, I think they have a lot of value."

Another acknowledged that there are two sides to the conversation: "It's tough, because we've got 90 guys on the training camp roster. Four games is a lot of opportunities, but I mean also you've seen this year some of the guys going down with injuries, so it's risk/reward."

How much do you think about potential head injuries down the road?

The majority of players were resolute in their lack of concern for the potential impacts of head injuries with one even saying, "I don't care. I figured we're all going to be messed up when we're all said and done. I know that my family never has to work again."

Others, however, stressed that they feel the team has set them up to be as healthy as possible.

"It's something I'm definitely aware of. It's not something that scares me," one offensive player said. "It's just something that's really important to be conscious of because we've seen all the stories.

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"CTE, it's a word you don't really want to say, but it's important to talk about. I took a few classes in college about it. I have a really good idea of the risks and how it can really affect you down the way."

There were a couple of exceptions, players that view the impacts of head injuries as a real concern, especially with the topic coming up in media more often.

"It's on my mind a lot, I would say. I just get nervous, movies scare you more than anything. If I didn't watch (the movie) Concussion I think I'd be all right."

Alaina Getzenberg. Alaina Getzenberg has been a member of The Dallas Morning News sports department since 2019. She previously worked for CBS Sports, MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2017.